List of Wrestling Observer Newsletter awards
This is a list of both active and inactive Wrestling Observer Newsletter awards created by professional wrestling journalist, Dave Meltzer. The first fourteen awards were created in 1980 as an informal poll between Meltzer and his friends and others he corresponded with on the subject of professional wrestling at the time. After starting the Wrestling Observer in 1983, the awards took on a greater life, with an increasing number of awards given out every year. The awards were created to recognize the individual achievements of a select few wrestlers who exemplified in a specified criterion. The awards are given on a yearly basis in various categories such as Best Overall Wrestler, Most Outstanding Wrestler, Best Tag Team, Most Improved, Match of the Year, etc.; there are also a handful of awards to recognize the dubious distinctions in the business during that year such as Most Overrated and Worst Worked Match. Currently, there are thirty-seven categories that are actively assessed every year and ten that are no longer active. The awards are voted for by the readership of the newsletter, which includes various insiders of the industry, such as promoters, agents, and performers, as well as journalists, historians, and fans. The awards are organized into two classes. For class A awards, voters indicate their top three choices. First choices are awarded five points, second places three points, and third places two points. The choice with the most points overall wins. For class B awards, voters simply indicate their top choice. Over the years, various institutions of mixed martial arts have become eligible to win some awards that seemed as though they were more deserving than the conventional wrestler. This led to, in 1997, the creation of Shootfighter of the Year and Fight of the Year to recognize MMA achievement specifically, but some awards remained intact for MMA to win, due to the similar business aspect between both sports (i.e. Best Box Office Draw, Promotion of the Year). In the December 3, 2007 edition of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, it was announced that from that year onwards, mixed martial artists are no longer eligible for the Lou Thesz/Ric Flair Award, thus reserving it for wrestlers only. Shootfighter of the year was renamed to Most Outstanding Fighter to match a new award called MMA Most Valuable Fighter, which is similar to the Lou Thesz/Ric Flair Award except it is for Mixed Martial Artists. Current awards Class A awards Lou Thesz/Ric Flair Award (Wrestler of the Year) , eight-time Wrestler of the Year, as well as half of its namesake.]] MMA Most Valuable Fighter Most Outstanding Wrestler Best Box Office Draw Feud of the Year Tag Team of the Year as World Tag Team Champions, 2008 Tag Team of the Year.]] Most Improved has won The Most Improved Award twice.]] Best on Interviews , five-time winner of Best on Interviews]] Most Charismatic Best Technical Wrestler performing the Crippler Crossface; he is a five-time winner of the award.]] Bruiser Brody Memorial Award (Best Brawler) won the award for ten straight years under the aliases of Cactus Jack and Mankind as well as his real name]] Best Flying Wrestler , Mysterio has won the award six times.]] Most Overrated has won the dubious award a record 7 times including a record 5 times in a row.]] Most Underrated Promotion of the Year Best Weekly Television Show Most Outstanding Fighter (formerly Shootfighter of the Year) Match of the Year Fight of the Year Rookie of the Year Best Non-Wrestler Best Television Announcer Worst Television Announcer Best Major Show Class B Awards Worst Major Wrestling Show Best Wrestling Maneuver Most Disgusting Promotional Tactic Worst Television Show Worst Worked Match of the Year Worst Feud of the Year Worst Promotion of the Year Best Booker Promoter of the Year Best Gimmick Worst Gimmick Best Pro Wrestling Book Best Pro Wrestling DVD Defunct awards Class A awards Best Babyface Best Heel Manager of the Year Class B Awards Readers' Favorite Wrestler Readers' Least Favorite Wrestler Worst Wrestler Worst Tag Team Worst Manager Most Embarrassing Wrestler Worst Non-Wrestling Personality Footnotes Category:Wrestling Observer